All desk accessories are made from the hardwood. A lot of people are familiar with the terms “hardwood” and “softwood”. However it should be mentioned that these terms don’t refer to the hardness of the materials. They determine the families of trees the woods come from. These families are deciduous and coniferous.

Softwoods are produced from the coniferous trees. The main feature of these trees is that they remain green year round. The examples of such trees are: Douglas Fir, Scotch Pine, Blue Spruce and Western Cedar.

Deciduous trees loose their leaves every year and are called hardwoods, for instance Maple, White Oak, Black Walnut, Mahogany and many others.

Hardwood is widely used in manufacturing furniture. Due to their more prolific growth softwoods are used for creating larger products in the construction and housing industries.

Most natural materials can change their environment, size and form because of the changes of environmental conditions, even well after the wood has been harvested, processed and put into service. These may lead to serious problems such as twisting, bending and cracking.

In most cases the raw material doesn’t have necessary configurations and shapes. There are joining and bonding techniques which are used for creating certain shapes, forms, style, strength and for accomplishing otherwise inevitable effects such as warpage and shrinkage, while putting the exquisite features of the material to the best use possible. Different fastening devices, special glues and bonding agents are used for this purpose.

If the raw material doesn’t fit well a particular part of a product the materials can be combined to outperform other solutions. For instance, thin sheets of wood can be glued in layers with the grains perpendicular to each other in order to create a single piece which is stronger and can resist cracking and warping. Such construction is called ply construction.

When the product is made, the manufacturers use special finishing for protecting the furniture from damage and discoloration. These finishing alternatives for protecting and enhancing the natural beauty of the wood have been developed for many years. These can be oils and waxes, paint formulations and sealing lacquers. The finishing can be also clear or shaded to enhance and modify the natural wood grain colors.

Lacquer coating is commonly used for creating high end wooden furniture. This coating provides overall enrichment of the wood grain and also protects the wood surface, diverting moisture, dirt and other contaminates that can spoil the overall appearance of the wood grain surfaces. This finish is applied on most office furniture and accessories such as hardwood office wall files and these hardwood desk top paper trays. Such finish is long lasting and beautiful.